© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
George Russell says his performance for Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix silenced any doubters he might have had, and adds Toto Wolff was not one of them.
At the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix George Russell replaced Lewis Hamilton (who tested positive for COVID-19) at Mercedes for one race, and put in a wonderful performance.
He was on his way to winning the race before a pit stop mix-up and a tyre puncture relegated him to P10.
However, the Briton says the race silenced any doubters he might have had in the team.
“I guess Bahrain, last year [2020] was the key moment that; if there were any doubters, the doubts were gone,” Russell said while appearing on Motor Sport Magazine’s podcast.
“The key people who would have made the difference in my career, Toto [Wolff], he ultimately is the one who has the final say.
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“He believed in me, and he had faith in me, even when I was finishing last every single weekend. So for me, that race obviously potentially proved a point to so many others but, at the end of the day, it’s Toto who makes the decision.”
George goes on to say Wolff was not one of the aforementioned doubters.
“Because he followed my career so closely, I guess he believed he knew what I was capable of.
“So that race probably didn’t really change anything in his mind whatsoever but, to the outside world, so many others may have thought, ‘OK, it is clear why he wants to go down that route’.
“But I guess for everybody that was a standout race and a pretty crazy one, when I look back at it.”
“Williams spell was very good for my development,” the Briton concluded.
